The automotive industry has experienced a sea change in consumer behavior and marketing strategies over the last few years. One of the leading experts in this field, a partner specializing in strategic business design at Deloitte China, highlights the necessity for car manufacturers to adopt a multi-channel approach to customer outreach. This evolution comes in response to shifting user habits, which compel companies to establish comprehensive strategies to attract high-quality leads and enhance sales conversions.

Purchasing a vehicle is not merely a transactional act; it's a prolonged decision-making process that involves emotional and psychological factors. Traditional marketing techniques typically focus their budget before and after the launch of new products. However, this narrow focus fails to cover the entire span of a consumer's car-buying journey, which can often last for several months or even years. During this time, creating emotional value is paramount; consumers increasingly identify with brands that resonate with their values and lifestyles.

Deloitte has conducted extensive research on automotive consumers over the past several years and discovered that emotional value can be distilled into three key themes. The first is the notion of self-satisfying experiences. This theme reflects how consumers' lifestyles change as they begin to view their vehicles not just as machines for transportation, but as extensions of their social and personal lives. Today, many consumers actively share their driving experiences across various social media platforms, showcasing their camping trips, road adventures, and everyday life with their cars, thereby enhancing their sense of community around shared interests.

The second theme is the experience of technological innovation. Compared to overseas markets, Chinese consumers display a notably higher acceptance and willingness to pay for advanced technological features. They are eager to embrace innovations that simplify and enhance their driving experiences—immersive smart cabins, intelligent driving capabilities, and other cutting-edge tech offerings are particularly welcome additions. This acceptance indicates a burgeoning demand for vehicles that intertwine with the digital aspects of consumers' lives.

The third theme focuses on electrification and sustainable transportation. Chinese consumers exhibit a pronounced concern for sustainable travel options and actively seek to integrate eco-friendly principles into their purchasing decisions. As environmental awareness grows, vehicles that promote green technology not only align with their values but also appeal to their desire for a sustainable lifestyle.

As we look back over the past few years, one fundamental theme emerges: the complex and profound changes in the relationship between humans and machines. According to Liu Yurui, a thought leader in the field, the potential applications of advanced AI models in the automotive sector promise noteworthy advancements in this relationship. Furthermore, they will likely foster significant emotional shifts in how users engage with their vehicles.

The first notable trend is the emergence of emotional intelligence in vehicles. Advanced AI technologies are designed to sense and express emotions. Current mainstream solutions primarily rely on semantic analysis, interpreting the meaning of text to gauge emotions. More advanced options involve analyzing audio cues, including tone and inflection. However, these approaches are not yet widely adopted. Moving forward, the integration of multi-modal AI that harnesses various inputs—such as verbal cues, body language, and micro-expressions—will be a key focus area for development.

Secondly, there is a shift towards proactive intelligent systems within vehicles. Presently, most smart cabin systems require users to initiate commands, but future models will likely feature capabilities that enable them to detect environmental changes and respond autonomously. This could include initiating conversations with passengers, offering reminders, or providing updates on itineraries. While such advancements represent a significant leap towards creating emotionally engaged in-car experiences, they also pose challenges. The need for ongoing real-time observation and data processing through these models will require considerable computational power and resources, leading manufacturers to carefully weigh costs against benefits.

Finally, there is the prospect of creating a seamless connection between devices—bridging the gap between person, vehicle, and life across multiple platforms. Ideally, consumers would engage with a unified AI assistant that works across their smartphones, computers, and vehicles, providing them with continuity in their interactions. This integration represents an ambitious direction for developing a holistic "person-vehicle-lifestyle" ecosystem. Yet, it is rife with challenges, particularly concerning synchronization among various models across platforms. Ensuring that an assistant utilized on a mobile device is compatible with the vehicle model involves extensive cooperative efforts across different ecosystems, raising questions not just about technology but about strategic cooperation among manufacturers.

As AI assistants become commonplace in consumers' daily lives, there will be an increased expectation for these systems to provide a cohesive experience. Users will look for consistent interaction across platforms, creating a strong desire for car manufacturers to fulfill this multi-channel expectation. This direction aligns with broader shifts in consumer preferences and lifestyle choices, thus steering the automotive industry towards an evolved interaction framework that melds technology, emotional connection, and everyday practicality.